1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with the general field of boat lifts and most particularly with those boat lifts designed to lift a watercraft from a water environment to a position immediately thereabove and then being capable of lateral rotation such that the watercraft can be stored or positioned for storage or other reason above an adjacent land or dock area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous devices have been utilized for boat lifts for facilitating removal or replacement of a boat with respect to a water environment adjacent to a dock or pier such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,695,674 patented Dec. 18, 1928 on a “Traveler Slide For Sail Attachments”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,016 patented Oct. 1, 1957 to F. R. Jarnot on a “Boat Mooring Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,868,031 patented Jan. 13, 1959 to M. T. Schumb on a “Speed Reducer With Detachable Drive Motor”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,014 patented Apr. 11, 1961 to A. H. Yordi on a “Boat Mooring Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,990,803 patented Jul. 4, 1061 to H. P. Henderson on a “Boat Mooring Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,885 patented Oct. 30, 1962 to G. H. Nolf on a “Docking Bar For Boats”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,839 patented to G. H. Nolf on Apr. 13, 1965 on a “Boat-Docking Apparatus With Pressure-Responsive Grapple”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,389 patented Jun. 29, 1965 to J. B. Poe on a “Boat Lift”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,024 patented Aug. 9, 1966 to C. W. Kramlich on a “Boat Lift”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,502 patented Apr. 7, 1970 to L. H. Blount on a “Lift Dock For A Water Borne Vessel”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,258 patented Jul. 11, 1972 to B. M. Osmundson on a “Boat Hoist”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,855 patented Dec. 18, 1973 to N. Kariagin et al and assigned to Whittaker Corporation on a “Telescoping Gravity Davit”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,229 patented Feb. 12, 1974 to H. Litezki and assigned to Schiess Aktiengesellschaft on a “Lifting Device For Lifting And Lowering Heavy Loads”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,452 patented Aug. 20, 1974 to S. D. Seay and assigned to Kaman Aerospace Corporation on a “Monorail Traverse System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,514 patented Jan. 29, 1980 to E. D. Edwards on an “Adapter For Motor-Speed Reducer Sets”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,868 patented Jul. 6, 1982 to N. Gattu and assigned to Harnischfeger Corporation on a “Telescopic Crane Boom Having Rotatable Extend/Retract Screws”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,728 patented Aug. 31, 1982 to H. E. Sulzer and assigned to Anchor/Darling Industries, Inc. on an “Automated Dual Mode Valve Actuator”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,800 patented May 20, 1986 to C. L. Nasby, Jr. on a “Dock Structure And Method And Apparatus For Raising And Lowering Same”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,996 patented Feb. 10, 1987 to M. Seal on “Side Loading Boat Lifts”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,920 patented Aug. 18, 1987 to J. L. Thomas on “Cradle Type Boat Lifts”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,011 patented Sep. 4, 1990 to S. H. Stenson on a “Powered Method And Apparatus For Lifting A Boat”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,603 patented Dec. 25, 1990 to G. Wheatland and assigned to 501 Manaras Auto Doors, Inc. on a “Load Sensing Gearbox”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,067 patented Jan. 8, 1991 to D. M. Montgomery on a “Boat Lift Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. 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Rockwood on a “Load Lifting Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,347 patented Nov. 16, 1993 to P. W. Mansfield on a “Sailboat Davit”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,821 patented Feb. 22, 1994 to B. L. Godbersen on an “Electric Drive Mechanism For Boat Hoist Winch”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,628 patented Apr. 12, 1994 to G. B. Daskalides on a “Boat Docking Post”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,834 patented Sep. 13, 1994 to K. Hayashi and assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Sankyo Seiki Seisakusho on a “Velocity-Reduced Drive System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,616 patented Feb. 21, 1995 to H. Roth on a “Dock Mounted Small Boat Lifting System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,978 patented Jan. 7, 1997 to V. Urbank on an “Elevator Construction for The Launching And Recovery Of Personal Watercraft”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,247 patented Jan. 14, 1997 to J. A. Endres et al and assigned to Endcor Inc. on a “Programming Boat Lift Control System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,663 patented Nov. 18, 1997 to N. D. Wahlstrand on a “Boat Lift Transport Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,834 patented Dec. 30, 1997 to R. A. Lyons on a “Lift For Watercraft”; and U.S. Design Pat. No. D390,188 patented Feb. 3, 1998 to L. P. Norfolk et al and assigned to Norfolk Fabrication, Inc. on a “Boat Lift Motor And Gear Housing”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,313 patented to F. H. Shackelford, Jr. on May 12, 1998 on a “Watercraft Lift”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,529 patented May 26, 1998 to r. R. B. Follett on a “Boat Lift”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,568 patented Jun. 23, 1998 to D. G. Parkins et al and assigned to ABL Boat Lifts on an “Adaptable Boat Lift”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,360 patented Jun. 30, 1998 to D. M. Wood, II on a “Topless Watercraft Lifting Apparatus With A Differential Gearing System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,003 patented Sep. 8, 1998 to R. V. Vickers and assigned to The Louis Berkman Company on a “Rotary Boat Lift”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,320 patented Nov. 24, 1998 to H. 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